This is one of the numerous examples of the full assimilation of Jews and their undisturbed functioning in the urban tissue – they did not create the trade and service infrastructure only within the Jewish district but located it in the city centre. The entrepreneurship of the Jewish inhabitants of Wroclaw was manifested, among others, by the location of their department stores. Buildings and tenement houses, built on request, had renowned addresses in the very centre of the city and were an inseparable part of it. The inhabitants of Wroclaw eagerly used top quality products and services, and the family business passed down from generation to generation functioned perfectly until the Nazis came to power. Among the many department stores owned by Jewish residents of pre-war Wroclaw, it is worth to mention:
The Barasch brothers’ department store (now Feniks) was opened in 1904. The unusually large, functional and majestic building was the ornament of the Market Square. The brothers Artur and Georg Barasch were not born in Wrocław, but quickly joined the local elite. They owned a chain of stores all over Germany, then known as “temples of commerce”. Their department store, designed by Georg Schneider, underwent numerous renovations (including the reconstruction of the facade or the dismantling of a large illuminated globe that was damaged by lightning), but it remained one of the Art Nouveau gems in the city centre. Until the Wertheim department store was opened in 1929, the Barasch brothers’ department store in Wroclaw had no competition in terms of size. However, as a result of the Aryanization in 1936, Artur and Georg Barasch had to sell the building to non-Jewish tycoons. During the period of persecution, Georg Barasch managed to escape from the Nazis to Ecuador, while Artur Barasch ended up in Auschwitz, where he was murdered in 1942.
The Barasch brothers’ department store, now Feniks (Daniele Liberati)
Rudolf Petersdorff’s department store (now Kameleon) was built in 1928 and was designed by Erich Mendelsohn, an outstanding German architect of Jewish origin. The interiors of the department store in a modernist style were arranged by the famous Wroclaw expressionist Heinrich Tischler. It was a great trade centre, which addressed its services to all residents of Wroclaw – during the holiday season, it was decorated with Christmas trees or Easter bunnies. The large and modern building with numerous rhythmic glazing was the pride of the city and to this day remains one of the most interesting buildings that survived the war. After the Nazis came to power, anti-Jewish pickets were held at the department store, and the owner was later forced to sell the facility.
The Wertheim department store (now Renoma) was founded by a Berlin company belonging to the Wertheim family and quickly became one of the showpieces of Wroclaw. The modernist commercial and service house, operating since 1930, was designed by Hermann Dernburg. The building definitely encouraged visitors – apart from shops, there were also restaurants and service points, as well as the first escalator in Silesia, which undoubtedly testified to the modernity of the building. Unfortunately, its splendour did not last long, because, during the Nazi rule, the Wertheim centre was taken over and run by an Aryan company. In 1945, the interior of the department store burned down; only its facade and structure survived. Despite the damage, the building is still considered one of the most interesting examples of European modernism.
The Wertheim department store, now Renoma (Poloniae Amici)
Julius Schottländer’s department store was located in a tenement house at Świdnicka 32. The building was designed by Richard and Paul Ehrlich, and it housed, among others, a fashion house, art gallery and cafe. The Paul Schottländer department store on the corner of today’s Świdnicka and Ofiar Oświęcimskich streets was opened at the end of the 19th century. Paul was the heir to the fortune accumulated by his father, Julius Schottländer, one of the most eminent figures of pre-war Wroclaw. Paul was a philosopher and philanthropist, honorary senator of the University of Wroclaw, and he ran a successful business. His department store functioned until 1927. Today, both tenement houses have been restored and remind us of the former splendour and wealth of Wroclaw. The family tomb of the Schottländer is located in the Old Jewish Cemetery.
Julius Schottländer’s department store before the war (Poloniae Amici)
The Schlesinger & Grünbaum department store (Rzeźnicza 32/33) was established in 1901, and it sold high-quality textiles. There were production and sewing rooms, warehouses and shops in the tenement house. The department store operated until the 1930s when the owners were forced to sell the property. The Art Nouveau building, designed by Leo Schlesinger, was not greatly damaged during the war, owing to which its architecture continues to delight today. As a result of its extensive glazing, careful sculptures and pillars, the building was one of the most important architectural implementations of this type in pre-war Germany.
It is impossible not to notice that the Jewish merchants were doing great in Wroclaw. They used to come here to fairs even before the official permission for Jews to settle in the city. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the wealthiest ones established their own department stores, and those with less wealth ran more modest businesses, although they also enjoyed great success.
Niepolda Arcade belonged to a wealthy entrepreneur, Wilhelm Niepold, who ran the most magnificent shopping arcade in pre-war Wroclaw. Established in 1904, the arcade consisted of tenement houses, which consisted of numerous shops and service points, as well as a restaurant and the house of the property owner. In shops between today’s Ruska and św. Antoniego streets it was possible to buy underwear and confectionery, as well as fabrics and colonial goods.
The Pokoyhof Arcade is one of the oldest seeds of the modern Jewish quarter. There were inns, quarters and coach houses intended for Jewish merchants coming from the territory of the Commonwealth of Poland before the Emancipation Edict. There was the National Synagogue, as well as Bielska and Leszczyńska synagogues.
The Sachs’ tenement house was an extraordinary example of a city rental palace. It was designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by Carl Schmidt, and it was put into use in 1873. The tenement house located on the corner of today’s Teatralny Square and Świdnicka Street belonged to the banker and financial tycoon Moritz Sachs. He also owned a tenement house in the Market Square, where, among others, he sold confectionery. In the tenement house at today’s Teatralny Square, on the ground floor, there was the extremely popular Café Fahrig, shops, an auction house and service premises, and high-standard apartments on the floors. Over time, the building also became a meeting place for the intellectual and artistic elite of Wroclaw, and the Sachs were famous for supporting art and local artists. The granddaughter of Moritz Sachs was Clara Sachs, one of the most famous pre-war Wroclaw painters. Unfortunately, in the 1930s, the Nazis confiscated the family property and took over the tenement house. The building survived the war in good condition, and today it still impresses after the renovation.
There were also dozens of tenement houses in the Market Square that either belonged to Jewish owners or housed Jewish businesses. The renowned businesses were the city’s showpiece and were largely used by both residents of Wroclaw and visitors. Apart from department stores, textile companies, banks and publishing houses also functioned successfully. Here are some of the most famous and appreciated objects:
The Priebatsch bookshop and publishing house (Rynek 58) was one of the most famous printing and publishing houses of pre-war Wroclaw, which belonged to the Priebatsch family. They handled the book market comprehensively – they both published textbooks and ran a bookstore, which was originally located on today’s Ruska Street. The family business was first run by Leopold, and later by his son Felix – which enabled the company’s development. The expanding enterprise later functioned in the tenement house at Rynek 14. The last manager of the company was Hans, who emigrated to Palestine in the 1930s. Felix Priebatsch is buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery.
The Trautner Department Store (Rynek 49) was commissioned by Louis Cohn in 1901, and its designers were brothers Richard and Paul Ehrlich. Previously, there was a tenement house in this place, which was pulled down, and a new, modernist and richly decorated building was erected. The Trautner department store, like the one belonging to the Barasch brothers, was topped with an illuminated globe. On its upper floors, there were production rooms for clothes for men and women, and on the lower floors – shops. The tenement house belonged to the family of Willy Cohn, the author of the journal No Justice in Germany: The Breslau Diaries. Today, there is a plate on the façade commemorating the Jewish chronicler of pre-war Wroclaw.
Louis Lewy Jr. Department Store (Rynek 39–40) was designed in 1904 and combined the modernist, neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles. Previously, there were two smaller tenement houses in this place, which were demolished in order to build a magnificent double edifice that proved to be a department store. Louis Lewy Jr.’s company, which was later run by his son Otto, produced women’s coats and other garments. It was said to be the best company of this type in all of Silesia – there was a sewing room on the upper floors, and the top quality products could be purchased downstairs. The Lewy family was forced to sell the tenement house to an Aryan company in 1938. The building survived the war in good condition.
Heimann’s Bank (Rynek 33) was one of the largest private banks in the country. Its founder was Ernst Heimann, financier and founder of a loan union. Later, the family business was managed by Heinrich Heimann, an investor, philanthropist and important figure of pre-war Wroclaw, as he held the function of the vice-president of the Wroclaw Chamber of Commerce. The tenement house quickly ceased to be sufficient, so it was rebuilt and enlarged by a tenement house at Kurzy Targ Street, where a treasury was built in the basement of the building. The creator of the reconstruction was the outstanding architect Albert Grau. In response to the large development of the institution, the bank was additionally enlarged by a tenement house no. 34. The Heimann Bank operated until 1944. The Ernst and Heinrich Heimann Foundation financed, among others, the construction of an orphanage and a care facility.
The Oppenheims’ tenement house (Solny Square 4) belonged to a family of bankers and philanthropists from 1810. The Oppenheims both lived and ran their business in a baroque tenement house. They were also famous for their charity, as their foundation supported the poorest inhabitants of Wroclaw. In the tenement house, which was the meeting place of the local Jewish community, there were also commercial premises and shops. In 1941 it was taken over by the Nazis.
The Barasch brothers’ department store postcard (Poloniae Amici)